The Tasmanian Liberal Party’s narrow one-seat return to government for a historic third term is significant in what has traditionally been a Labor-dominated state.

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Premier Peter Gutwein’s calling of an early election to capitalise on shutting Tasmania to the rest of the country has been vindicated. But he did not achieve anything like the thumping parliamentary margin achieved by Labor border populist Mark McGowan in Western Australia.